Quiz: Howstuffworks

Can You Pass This EMT Certification Exam in 7 Minutes?

Todd Betzold

Image: vm / lauradyoung / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Like a ride in the ambulance, this quiz is going to be a quick one. We are challenging you to not only pass this EMT certification exam, but blow away the competition by passing it in just seven minutes! Time will tell, but that patient in the back is counting on you!

Have you ever stopped and truly thought about how important of a job an EMT is? These Emergency Medical Technicians meet people when they are in possibly the worst conditions of their lives. They are in the middle of an emergency and call an ambulance for help, and these EMTs have to assess the situation and make judgment calls all the time.

That's why EMTs tend to have a lot more training than you think. Not only are they passing this exam, but they are also going through a 2-year associate's degree program. This includes passing rigorous coursework and clinical training. Health care is no joke, which is why they take the job of an EMT so seriously. So, can you pass this quiz? You'll be asked everything from respiratory rates for adults to clearing an airway for an infant. Can you handle the pressure?

In modern ambulances, what is the leading cause of accidents?

High-speed driving

Other vehicles

Distracted driving

An increase in vehicle traffic

With better technology in crew cabs, it can lead to distracted drivers. Technology can be good, but drivers need to be focused on the roads, too.

For manual ventilation, you should squeeze the bag how often for an adult patient?

Every 2 to 3 seconds.

Every 3 to 4 seconds.

Every 5 to 6 seconds.

Every 7 to 10 seconds.

Breaths should be administered every 5 to 6 seconds for adults during manual ventilation. This would give you a total of 10 to 12 breaths per minute.

What is it called when the heart muscles can't pump blood throughout the body?

Pulmonary edema

Acute myocardial infarction

Congestive heart failure

Transient ischemic attack

When the heart muscles can't pump blood throughout the body, it's called congestive heart failure. This lack of pumping interferes with the proper heart function.

How would wheezing be described?

A loud snoring sound

A high-pitched whistling sound

A tiny popping sound

A wet, crackling sound

When the lower airways narrow or are obstructed, wheezing happens. This causes that high-pitched, whistling sound, as the air is traveling through the narrowed space.

What is the most important aspect of a scene size-up?

Counting the number of patients

Determining if the scene is safe

Determining if you need additional help

Determining if it's a medical or trauma call

You need to make sure a scene is safe before caring for the patient. If you don't, it could lead to injuries for you or your partner and more patients to treat.

What are the most common symptoms of asthma?

A fever and runny nose

Migraine

Shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing

Confusion and vomiting

Asthma causes you to have an increase in mucus production and a constriction of the airways. These things often cause a person to cough, have shortness of breath and make those wheezing breath sounds.

What does the National Incident Management System (NIMS) do?

Used to prevent incidents from occurring

The command structure used to dictate an emergency situation

Allows multiple agencies to work together by providing guidelines and common terms

Gives the framework for the federal government to take responsibility of an incident

NIMS gives us a framework for multiple agencies to work together. It does not aid in prevention, nor does it dictate responsibility.

What is the normal respiratory rate of a newborn?

8 to 16 breaths per minute

16 to 24 breaths per minute

20 to 30 breaths per minute

30 to 60 breaths per minute

Newborns breathe a lot faster than adults. A normal range for a newborn would be between 30 to 60 breaths per minute.

What is the correct placement of the color-coded ECG cables?

White on right shoulder, black on left shoulder, red on right hip and green on left hip

White on left shoulder, black on left hip, red on right hip and green on right shoulder

White on left shoulder, black on right shoulder, red on right hip and green on left hip

White on right shoulder, black on left shoulder, red on left hip and green on right hip

The cables must be consistently placed every time. This ensures quality ECG tracing results that will accurately show the heart's activity.

You have a man who is feeling anxious and says that he can't breathe. What should you do?

Use a non-rebreather mask and put the flow to 10 LPM

Start manually ventilating

Check his respiratory rate and rhythm, his oxygen saturation and listen to lungs

He may be choking, so do an abdominal thrust.

He told you he couldn't breathe, so he is breathing. Assess the respiratory system to begin with.

What is the leading cause of death among school-age children between 6 and 12?

Child abuse

Cancer

Choking

Unintentional injuries

The CDC reports that injuries obtained from accidents are the leading cause of death among school-age children.

How often should vital signs be checked in an unstable patient?

Every 2 minutes

Every 5 minutes

Every 7 minutes

Every 10 minutes

Since the patient is unstable, keeping a close eye on vital signs is important. Timely action would be needed if the patient declines in status.

Before inserting a nasopharyngeal airway, what is the first thing you need to do?

Pick the correct size.

Tilt the head back, lube the airway and insert it into the airway.

Make sure the nostrils are large enough for the nasopharyngeal airway.

Verify that the patient doesn't have a gag reflex.

EMTs need to make sure the right size of nasopharyngeal airway is selected. The airway may not be as effective if the wrong size is used.

For nitroglycerin administration on one chest pain incident, what is the maximum dosage frequency and time frame allowed?

2 doses; 10 minutes between doses

3 doses; 5 minutes between doses

5 doses within 30 minutes

10 doses within 60 minutes

You should never exceed the maximum dosage without doctor's orders. Higher doses of nitroglycerin could negatively impact cardiovascular conditions.

What is the amount of time you should spend on-scene for a critical patient?

10 minutes or less

10 to 20 minutes

20 to 30 minutes

As long as it takes to make them stable for transport

Timing is important for a critical patient. Many procedures needed would be done at the hospital, so less time on the scene is needed.

What would make airway management more difficult in a child than an adult?

Smaller jaw and a proportionally larger tongue

Shorter airway and a proportionally larger tongue

Smaller jaw, smaller teeth

No differences between the two.

Children have a smaller jaw and their tongue is proportionally larger. This can make manual ventilation and intubation more difficult.

What is an incident with many victims called?

Triage

Multiple Victim Incident (MVI)

Mass-Casualty Incident (MCI)

Mass Response Incident (MRI)

An MCI usually involves at least three patients. It's also an incident that could cause multiple casualties.

How many LPM can a nasal cannula be run at?

1 to 10 LPM

1 to 6 LPM

10 to 15 LPM

1 to 15 LPM

Anything over 6 LPM for a nasal cannula would dry the mucus membranes and be uncomfortable. If you need more than 6 LPM, switch to another device.

What type of defibrillator is recommended for a 4-month-old baby in cardiac arrest with an unknown cause?

Manual defibrillator

Any type of AED

AED with pediatric dose attenuator

AED without pediatric dose attenuator

For pediatric cardiac emergencies, they are mainly related to respiratory events. The most accurate device for an infant would be the use of the manual defibrillator.

A young man was just stung by a bee and is having trouble talking, breathing and has hives. You should immediately do all of the following except what?

Give the patient supplemental oxygen.

Check the bee sting for a possible infection.

Provide airway support

Administer epinephrine

The patient is in anaphylactic shock, so the epinephrine should be administered. The airway could be comprised due to swelling, so airway support is needed, as well as giving the patient supplemental oxygen.

Which of the following is not part of the female reproductive system?

Ovaries

Fallopian tubes

Ureter

Vagina

The ureter is the duct by which urine passes from the kidney to the bladder, which makes it part of the urinary system.

You have an unresponsive patient with an intact gag reflex and tried to insert a nasal airway in right nostril, but met resistance and can't insert. What should you do next?

Try using the left nostril after making sure it's lubricated.

Use more force to insert it.

Try using a smaller airway.

Try using an oral airway instead.

You should never force an airway in, and an oral airway wouldn't work for a patient with gag reflex. The wrong size airway would not be effective.

In a dangerous situation where hazardous materials are suspected, where should an ambulance be parked?

At the station until called to scene

Downwind of the scen

Right at the scene

Upwind and/or uphill from the scene

If the ambulance it upwind or uphill, this prevents heavier than air chemicals from reaching it.

What is the normal respiratory rate for an adult?

8 to 12 breaths per minute

12 to 20 breaths per minute

20 to 30 breaths per minute

30 to 60 breaths per minute

A normal resting rate for an adult is between 12 and 20 breaths per minute. Anything above or below those rates would be considered abnormal.

Who is responsible for doing a daily inspection of the ambulance?

EMT Supervisor

The hospital

The staff who last used the vehicle

The staff assigned to that vehicle for the upcoming shift

Before using an ambulance, the EMTs need to perform a mechanical, safety and equipment inspection.

For manual ventilation, you should squeeze the bag how often for a child patient?

Every 1 to 3 seconds

Every 3 to 5 seconds

Every 5 to 7 seconds

Every 7 to 10 seconds

You should perform manual ventilation at a rate of 1 breath every 3 to 5 seconds for a child. This would give you a total of 12 to 20 breaths per minute.

An unresponsive adult patient just vomited and you need to suction the airway. How long should you do this for at one time?

Less than 5 seconds

5 to 10 seconds

10 to 15 seconds

As long as it takes to clear the airway

Suctioning interferes with oxygenation, so it should not be done for more than 15 seconds at a time in an adult. It can be repeated if more material needs to be removed.

The signs for what type of diabetic emergency include a weak and rapid pulse, clammy skin and low blood pressure?

Hypoglycemia

Hyperglycemia

A diabetic coma

Diabetic Ketoacidosis

The signs for hyperglycemia are very similar. However, blood pressure is usually within normal range.

You have a patient that isn't breathing adequately but has a pulse. Emergency care includes all of these except which one?

Airway management

CPR

Supplemental oxygen

Ventilatory support

If the patient has a pulse then CPR is not needed. If the patient loses that pulse, that is when CPR would be initiated.

What does triage mean?

The way you bandage a wound

A method for determining how fast to transport a patient

The way you determine how many personnel are needed to care for a patient

A method of sorting patients based on the severity of their injuries

Injuries need to be assessed for severity. With triage, the goal is to do the greatest good for the most patients.

If acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) wasn't administered to a patient in a cardiovascular emergency, which of the following could be a reason why?

Documented allergy

Bleeding condition

Stomach ulcer

All of the above

Ulcers and bleeding may be side effects of ASA, but it could still be administered. If there is a documented allergy to ASA, then it could not be administered.

You arrive on scene and family members say an unresponsive young female had "passed out." After analyzing the scene, what should you do next?

Check her blood pressure.

Check her temperature to see if she had heat stroke.

She may be diabetic, so check her blood sugar.

Check her pulse and breathing.

Since the patient is unresponsive, you may need to start CPR. You would find this out by checking her pulse and breathing, which is why it would be done first.

What part of the contact with EMS do patients say is the scariest?

The ambulance ride

Having procedures done on them

Being moved on a stretcher

Having a splint put on or being backboarded

A patient rides in the back of an ambulance, so the uncontrolled movements of the vehicle make it very unnerving. However, the ambulance needs to get to the hospital fast, so comfort takes a back seat!

How many lobes are the lungs made of?

2

4

5

7

The right lung has the upper, middle and lower lobe. The left lung has the upper and lower lobe, as room is needed for the heart.

What does the acronym ROSC mean?

Return Of Spontaneous Circulation

Return On System Circulation

Reminder Of Seasonal Changes

Return Of Standard Circulation

ROSC means return of spontaneous circulation. This happens when a patient who had no pulse and was unresponsive regains circulation during BLS, CPR and/or AED use.

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